Awaken
You awaken a tree or animal to humanlike sentience. You cannot awaken a creature that has 3 or more Intelligence score (not even when that score is drained, reduced, or damaged). Notes Awaken is one of the more powerful spells available to druids, able to grant humanlike intelligence to a normal animal or plant. The affected creature gains improved mental ability, the ability to speak and understand human language, and an additional measure of toughness as well. Adventuring druids could use this to acquire companions, muscle or special agents, but how might this be used in a larger campaign? The first obvious use of the spell is to provide intelligence to select animal companions of the privileged. War horses and hunting hounds are valuable in their own right, but become an order of magnitude more valuable when awakened - able to understand their human counterparts' motives, needs and goals and act to further them, as well as communicate their own needs and limits. An awakened animal can serve superbly as a war mount, sentry, or guardian to a noble child. The number of awakened animals that will appear in a kingdom will be few. The spell's level mean that only a few druids in any given region will be able to cast the spell; it also has an XP requirement, further limiting the spell's use and increasing the effective price to around 1,500 gp. This is reasonably expensive, but not much more so than some magical items, and likely a bargain for those who can afford it. There are two limitations inherent in accepting awakened animal companions as part of one's life. The first is earning the goodwill of the druid casting the spell; powerful druids often have agendas that involve protecting natural wilderness, blocking excessive logging, hunting and other forms of exploitation and hunting down monsters or villains who might damage the local forest. Accepting such an agenda may not be a straightforward decision, especially if the locals have heavily exploited the wilderness in the past. The other limitation in place is accepting the needs of the awakened animals themselves. Such creatures will have voices, and the will to use them - and will lodge complaints if they think they are being misused, overworked or badly treated. They may try to advocate on behalf of their unawakened brethren as well - imagine a fully intelligent hunting dog calling for better kennels for all the sheepdogs of the kingdom! Before granting a voice to one's animal partners, it's best to think about what they may do with their newfound understanding. One final note - though awakened animals can certainly serve openly as companions and valued friends, it's also certainly possible for them to act as spies. Rats, housecats and ravens may serve better in this role than horses or dogs, but the key is the same - an intelligent and perceptive observer who's just a 'dumb animal' to all appearances, able to eavesdrop on conversations and report back later. Such a trick may be possible with polymorphing or illusion magics, but awakened animals have one notable advantage - the spell that gives them their insight is instantaneous and can't be detected or dispelled later, making magical countermeasures essentially useless. In a fantasy world, one always has to be careful - it's impossible to know who might be watching, or what they might say about you... Category:Transmutation spells Category:6th level Druid spells